In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist film having a predetermined pattern is formed on a process target film which is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to also as “wafer”), and the process target film is subjected to a treatment such as etching or ion implantation using the resist film as a mask. After the treatment, the unnecessary resist film is removed from the wafer.
An SPM treatment is typically used as a method for removing the resist film. The SPM treatment is performed by supplying the resist film with an SPM solution (Sulfuric Acid Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture) obtained by mixing sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution.
In the SPM treatment, the SPM solution of a high temperature is generally discharged toward a wafer. Thus, the SPM solution may evaporate to generate fume. There is a possibility that the fume might diffuse in a wide area of a chamber of a resist removal apparatus to contaminate an inner wall of the chamber and components therein so that a wafer contamination causative agent is generated.
In order to prevent that the fume diffuses in a wide area of the chamber to contaminate the inner wall of the chamber and the components therein, JP2007-35866A proposes a resist removal apparatus including: a spin chuck configured to hold a wafer, a shield wall surrounding a circumference of the wafer held by the spin chuck, the shield wall having an opening above the wafer; a shield plate disposed above the shield wall; and a nozzle configured to be inserted from a lateral side through a gap between the shield wall and the shield plate so as to discharge an SPM solution toward the wafer. According to the resist removal apparatus described in JP2007-35866A, the shield wall and the shield plate can prevent fume from diffusing in a wide area in the chamber.